An increasing number of chemicals is used by society today, which are also released into the environment. Ecotoxicology is concerned with their potential impacts on the ecosystem.
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About the Program

An increasing number of chemicals is used by society today, which are also released into the environment. Ecotoxicology is concerned with their potential impacts on the ecosystem. It aims to investigate and discover effects of chemicals on biological systems in order to develop methods for risk management, as well as to predict ecological consequences.

The international "Master of Science program in Ecotoxicology" integrates concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Toxicology and Ecology and includes Social Sciences and Economics as well. Due to its interdisciplinary and applied approach, the Program enables its graduates to analyze complex problems and to develop practical solutions.

As environmental problems reach far beyond national borders, an international approach is necessary and the situation in developing countries needs special solutions.

The Master in Ecotoxicology is carried out under the Institute for Environmental Sciences.

Program Structure

All students take the 9 required modules, as well as a 10-week Research Project Course and an Applied Module at External Organisations of 8 weeks to obtain a deep knowledge in the field of Ecotoxicology. Afterwards, studentes personalize the Program by choosing 2 Modules of the 5 Specialty Areas. The Master Thesis with colloquium round out the 4-semester Program.

Applied Module at External Organizations (AMEO)

The module AMEO is an 8-week internship, which can be performed at an external university or a governmental or industrial research institute in Germany or abroad. Students become familiar with working practice, requirements of the job market and career opportunities and can establish business contacts. They apply, confirm and expand knowledge and competences achieved during their study.

Following an introductory discussion with the supervisors, the students perform the (research) work on their own and discuss the obtained results regularly with their supervisors. The content depends on the actual research questions in the selected research organizations. Topics or possible positions will be suggested by the staff of the Institute for Environmental Sciences or maybe suggested by the students. The topics should be directly related to applied problems relevant in these external organisations and should ideally offer the students opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in areas, which are not the particular research areas at the Institute for Environmental Sciences in Landau. They include, but are not restricted to the following areas:

Research Project Course (RPC)

The students work independently on a research topic of the university for a total time of about 10 weeks. The topics depend on the actual research conducted in the various research groups. However, all topics do have an interdisciplinary character covering at least two different disciplines (e.g. chemistry and ecology, or physics and risk assessment). The students submit proposals for topics selected from a list provided by the teaching staff including a time and resource planning as well as an independently conducted literature search. Following an introductory discussion with the supervisor, the students perform the research work on their own and discuss the obtained results regularly with their supervisor. Following the practical work, the students write a report including the theoretical background, the methods used, the results obtained and a discussion of the results based on the relevant scientific literature. The students present and defend the outcome of their work at an oral presentation. Following successful completion the students are able to plan a scientific work package, conduct the work, evaluate the results based on the relevant literature and present the outcomes.

The content depends on the actual research questions in the research groups associated with the Institute for Environmental Sciences. They include, but are not restricted to the following areas:

Employment outlook

The Program enables the graduates to conduct independent scientific work and prepares in particular for independent and leading positions in the numerous emerging fields of Ecotoxicology. The graduates are able to take responsibility in a professional manner in: Scientific facilities and research institutes, Authorities, public offices and ministries with a regulatory role, Non-governmental organizations, Industry and consulting enterprises. The international orientation of the program qualifies graduates for a global job market. In addition, the Master program prepares for a PhD study.

“I value very much the excellent education and the close individual support from the teaching staff during my studies that allowed me to pursue own research ideas and to find my field of interest. A cooperation of the university with the German Federal Environment Agency enabled me to gain experience in the environmental risk assessment of pesticides. I qualified for a traineeship in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and am now working in the field of pesticide risk assessment.” Klaus Swarowsky (Master Ecotoxicology, EFSA)

Internationally Networked

The Institute for Environmental Sciences is globally connected through international research projects and student exchange programs. The international nature of the Program is achieved through numerous international research and teaching staff, regular seminars from guest lecturers from abroad, and possible internships all over the world. You will find a map which displays the locations our cooperation partners under: